An unusual encounter took place yesterday at United Square, Singapore. During a simultaneous chess challenge organised by the Singapore Chess Federation, my old friend and chess rival Terry Toh participated – not as one of the two “simul masters” (he is currently a retired international master or IM) – but as one of the participants against […]
The Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) journal – flagship journal of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) – has just published online a letter describing the outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) among patrons of several LAN gaming centers in Singapore in 2012 (COI: I was involved at the laboratory end of investigations and am an […]
After a period of 6-7 years of “rational MRSA control’ targeted towards MRSA containment rather than eradication, many Singaporean public sector hospitals stepped up efforts to reduce their MRSA burden again. While it was clear that the infection control staff from different hospitals were communicating with each other, there was no overall or coordinated strategy among […]
I promised in an earlier post to discuss what I felt was the first major anti-MRSA campaign in Singapore. Although it occurred not too long ago (estimated 1994/5 – 1998/9), there are no easily obtainable records of what transpired, and I only started work right at the tail end of the “campaign” – at that […]
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) probably emerged in Singaporean hospitals in the 1970’s. The exact date, and whether the first isolates were imported from overseas or arose from within Singapore’s own S. aureus population is no longer known (or at least I have not been able to find someone who has a clear recollection of these events). We do have […]
“Or Sai” (“Black Lion” in Hokkien – due to the iconic black lion emblem of the centre) at Moulmein Road. The Communicable Diseases Centre will be moving to its new premises in 2018 (perhaps making way for another condominium block?), so there are a few short years to enjoy the nice green environs.
How would Singapore fare in the management of Ebola? There is no doubt in my mind that any outbreak will be contained rapidly, with minimal local transmission. The country is small, and the government has more than sufficient resources and political will to monitor or even quarantine suspected travelers and contacts of cases, as was […]
Kind of a shameless plug, as I was quoted rather extensively in this September 25th article on antibiotics in Straits Times’ Mind Your Body section. But I am always very glad when the popular press runs an article on antimicrobial resistance or over-prescription of antibiotics – bringing awareness to the community is one of the key […]
Carbapenemases are bacterial enzymes that break down the carbapenem class of antibiotics. As previously mentioned, these are some of the most powerful and broad-spectrum antibiotics, used for treatment of life-threatening infections and those infections caused by multidrug-resistant nosocomial bacteria. The majority of these carbapenemases are found in Gram-negative bacteria that are not able to catabolize […]
The newly renovated Tuberculosis Control Unit building and outpatient clinics. Airy and pleasant.
MIPHIDIC 